In blackjack I'm winning a lot of money when I play for straight cash but I have never cashed in a single penny playing in tournaments. I will admit that I have played in only 10 tournaments in my entire life and have never finished in the money. Is there a reason why I can do really well in cash games but get my but kicked in tournaments?
Card counter My two pennies worth. You've only played 10 tournaments. You probably have gabazillion more hands played regular. Tournaments are more about playing the other players and not the dealer. You use your basics, but there are many many nuances that are different. Check some basic tournament primers and strategy books, articles to see why. You don't have to believe any of them, but it helps to know where the other tournament players are coming from. Good Fortune in which ever path you take
While playing regular BJ you are going only against the house which follows defined rules of hitting and standing...plus if you actually find and can utilize a countable game then you have an advantage... In a tournamnet you are playing against every player at the table...and so far you have been outskilled perhaps....??? Counting isnt a necessary skill for tournamnent success...rather Bankroll awareness, chip counting and tournament stratagey are more important.... Have you ever rooted for the dealer to nail a 21??? In a tournament with a well placed bet (low) while everyone else has their a$$ hanging out you may just be rooting the dealer on..(silently I hope..lol) this is a completely different game ...the only related part is the 21 part.... Dont worry.....no one succedes fresh out of the gate....read some books, play some low limit online games and you will soon find yourself winning... You are lucky ....you can practice different games online.....even free rolls are available 24 hours a day ...7 days a week....you can ramp up quickly with the great available games... Quite an advantage over those who had to travel and pay big money just to sit in any tournament game... Keep playing and pay attention to what others are doing ...not what the dealer is doing....thats the ticket... Good luck.....I'll add you to my UB buddies list....;-) Just kidding....beginers are always whipping me anyway... Good luck....dont give up....you have found this site and that will be a great help to you.... the top players in the world are all here....ask questions in the begineers section and you will get advice that is priceless....true genius (not me) is lurking everywhere here and they are really friendly and helpful.... You can ignore or enjoy the arguing (I enjoy it...lol)...it is typical of any site on any subject where there are such a huge percentage of highly intelligent dedicated fans.. There are 30 people here more than qualified to write an expert level book on tournament BJ....ask questions and they will help you... Good luck....
I found Stanford Wong's "Casino Tournament Strategy" book to be helpful for understanding the different mindset that tourneys require. Kevin Blackwood's "Play BJ Like the Pros" has a good chapter too (I note that this site has this book for a mere $7 right now, a real bargain to the $16 I paid). Wong: http://www.blackjackinfo.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=30 Blackwood: http://www.blackjackinfo.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=78
It's mainly luck I think...... Like for me I usually bet it all the last 2 hands or the last hand..... sometimes I'm lucky and sometimes I'm not... I just got out of a losing "rut" last week for about 2 whole months I could never win 1st place. Man that stunk! *lol*
streaks in tbj there is a tremendous amount of luck in tbj - and can be long odds against you - take the monthly tourney here in Yuma - first table, 7 players, one advance to semi; semi table, 7 players, one advance to final - that's 1 out of 49 chances of getting to the final table for the average player - an expert player with a 50% edge - would reduce that down to 1 out of 22 only - so maybe not too odd that you can go a few tourneys without a final table - also - you will gain skills with experience - no book or web site can teach you everything there is to know about tbj - you need to learn by playing -
